Like Father Like Son
by nycorrall
Summary: It's been two months since Maddie and Danny returned from their camping trip and made new allies. Two months since the secret was revealed. Now Danny must concentrate on protecting his family and friends as Team Phantom struggles to uncover Vlad's mysterious plans. But things suddenly go awry when Jack captures Phantom, putting the boy's secret-and half life-in danger.
1. Schemes

**A/N: Sequel to Mother's Intuition.**

Danny released a frustrated sigh as he flopped back unto his bed, relishing in the comfort of his mattress.

"Danny, focus." Sam punched his thigh and glared at him as he instantly sat up. "_What? _ I _am _focusing. But, it's just..." He paused and peered over the files again, eyes roaming across the paper as he reviewed the little bit of information they had gathered. He furrowed his brows and ran a hand through his tangled mass of raven locks.

On the page, there were pictures of their favorite fruitloop, Vlad, standing in front of the mayor's building. Attached in the file was another photo of him and final page was a list of all the psychotic, older hybrid's phone calls (which Tucker had somehow managed to download by hacking into the lunatic's phone and computer). "I don't get it! Vlad's been in Amity the whole time. We know he's made contact with Skulker, we know he's been talking to that new ghost Havoc, and we know he's trying to get rid of dad."

"And, he sets up a big trap for you, makes sure you have a map and stuff to go there, and then just doesn't try to capture you again? It doesn't make any sense." Sam huffed in frustration and scrunched her nose, mulling over the limited amount of information the had gathered in the last two-to-three months.

"We're missing something. Maybe something happened during Amity while you were gone and we just didn't notice it. All we've got is that he's constantly opening and closing the portals which means that's his communication method and he's possibly been coming in and out of the Ghost Zone."

"Whatever." Danny sighed. "Let's just go. My mom's been down at the lab and she keeps texting me to go down there."

Sam bit her lip and her amethyst eyes floated back to the paper. "Well, I guess we can check it out later then," she replied with obvious reluctance. "But, we can't just keep putting it off, I mean. Vlad has been quiet."

"_Too _quiet," Tucker agreed, nodding his head as he peered over at Danny's computer. "It's creepy."

An anxious look fluttered between the group. Vlad being quiet was never a good thing. It usually meant he was taking time to perfect his plans, preparing for something rather big. In fact, looking back at their history with the fruitloop, one would say Vlad's plans would somehow go awry and everything would turn out disastrous and worse than anyone had anticipated.

A few months prior to Vlad's mysterious silence, Danny's mother received a brochure and map (from Dalv) that covered all the details of a camping site made for especially for "teenager's only." Being the mother she was, she decided she'd use this opportunity to go on the trip with her son for some mother-son bonding. Danny grudgingly agreed and, on their way to the 'Retsam' city's camping site, they got lost in the middle of a Forest Reservation where the two of them encountered a group of _unique _individuals who kept the the two befuddled relatives safe.

After discovering that their destination was nothing more than a trap created by Vlad Masters, mother and son instantly headed back towards home. Only to discover that a ghost named Havoc had been waiting to attack them.

Team Phantom was absolutely certain Vlad had been plotting his mysterious scheme sometime before the events of the trip (which had luckily turned out to be against Vlad's plan).

The trio trotted downstairs, their minds heavy with wandering thoughts as they tried to connect the dots between Havoc, Skulker, Vlad, and the Reservation, but nothing came to them.

Danny sighed and reluctantly swung open the door to the lab and stepped inside. Not moments later, a bright light flashed across the trio's eyes and a powerful blast of energy hit the wall right beside Danny's head, leaving behind a faded burn mark.

"_Mom?_" Danny's mouth dropped open as he glanced at the older woman. Maddie was wearing her teal hazmat suit, indigo eyes hidden behind a pair of red goggles. Danny anxiously glanced at the large Fenton Bazooka that was hoisted on her right shoulder; a dangerous smile was stretched across her face.

Danny stiffened, instantly realizing what was going on as his eyes briefly darted to his astounded friends.

"Mom-!"

"It's too late, son. You've run out of excuses and I'm not putting this off anymore!" She charged up her weapon and grit her teeth, this time aiming directly at the raven-haired teen. "Eat this Phantom!"

**A/N: The sequel is finally up! I apologize for the long delay (and the shortness of this first chapter) but college is no walk in the park.**

**In fact, I'm not entirely sure how frequently I will be updating each chapter. And, I promise the next chapter will be much longer.**

**And, as for technical errors, if there's a lot of them, I apologize for that, too. I'm a little sleep deprived right now but I'll go about editing some other day.**

**Anyways, I'm a bit tight on time so...please review! I would really appreciate some feedback.**


	2. Powers

**A/N: No Danny Phantom stuff belongs to moi. It belongs to Butch and Nickelodean.**

Danny tensed up and placed a hand over his galloping heart, wearily eyeing his mother's faux gun. Despite the fact that it had been modified for practice uses, it still made him fidgety to see his perfect-aiming mother holding the bazooka. "_Mom. _I told you, I don't wanna do this right now!"

The redhead lowered her gun and furrowed her brows. "Well, first you said you were busy and now that you _do_ have time you don't want to do it? You promised I'd get to do a power check on you but something always comes up. This is one of the few times your father goes out with a few of his fishing buddies. Come on, sweetie, if you don't like it, you might as well get this over with! And, it's a great new bonding experience for us. Besides, Frostbite and his men finally finished helping me fix this lab up and I've been wanting to test out all our new training sections."

"Is that why your dad's been whining so much? 'Cause he wasn't allowed to come down to the lab yet?" Tucker chuckled and glanced around the lab. "It doesn't look very different. Just...bigger."

Maddie rolled her eyes and glanced at the teenager. "That's because the practice obstacles are built _into _the walls and the roof. Even the floor! So, we can just clear everything out of the way and have Danny train in here. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him while he's protecting the town." She bit her lip and gazed at her son with worried eyes. "I just need to know that you have enough strength to manage on your own. Plus, if you train harder, you're less likely to go off and...and-"

"Be killed." Danny finished with a resigned sigh. "Fine, I'll train with you."

The mother and son turned their focus to the two teenagers standing in the living room. "What about you two? You want to stay here and help? I heard you're more experienced than me."

Tucker nodded. "Sure, Mrs. F. But, I'm gonna have to leave in half an hour. My parents are gonna kill me if I come home late again."

"I'll stay, too." Sam offered with a smirk. "_I'm_ not doing anything and my parents are out on some golf convention. I'll go get the radar gun." She grinned broadly and rushed over to one of the desks, opening the drawer.

And, so the training began.

They started off with the easiest ghost abilities, making their way up to the more powerful ones. Maddie proceeded to write notes for each of Danny's display of abilities and, each time, Maddie's eyes would widen excitedly as she explored her son's physical strengths and weaknesses, comparing her own findings to Team Phantom's records.

The two friends left a few hours later, leaving the mother and son to continue the practice sessions until, finally, after covering as much of the abilities as possible, the mother began analyzing the information.

"You know, you're pretty strong..." Maddie underestimated as she trained beaming eyes on her son. The pride had grown extensively. At this rate, her son's paranormal strength was magnifying at a steady pace and, after reviewing all of Team Phantom's notes, she firmly believed he was still in the process of developing more power. The thought was both frightening and thrilling at the same time.

More power came with more responsibility. That was a well-known fact. Unfortunately, that meant her son would be prone to attract more powerful ghosts...more threats, more enemies. Her gaze flickered to the teenage boy as he mindlessly floated around, silently enjoying their moment of peace. She smiled slightly. In spite of everything he'd been through, everything he'd faced and experienced, he was still just a kid. A pretty great, _mature_ kid at that.

Suddenly, the boy dropped to the ground, lightly landing his feet on the ground as his bright green eyes flickered to the door. The mother followed the boy's line of gaze and, no more than a few moments later, the redheaded sibling walked through the door.

"You guys all done here? Dad called earlier and he's expecting lunch. I think he's on his way." She glanced at her watch and then at Danny as he reverted back to his human form.

"That reminds me..." Danny turned and began picking up the items that were scattered across the floor, "Frostbite wants to talk to you about some kind of medical stuff. Said you wanted to revise everything he has."

Madeleine's eyes lit up in pure ecstasy. "Really? Oh, that's so exciting!"

Her smile suddenly seemed to lift everyone's mood, her excitement equivalent only to Jazz when she found a new psychology book.

"Well, children, looks like we're having my famous Meatball Mania tonight. Oh! And some Fenton Fudge to go with that!" She clapped her hands animatedly before dashing up the stairs.

Jazz and Danny flashed each other a sharing glance as they happily trotted up the stairs. Those two new dishes were the household's favorite meal, mostly because they were two of the only four dishes (besides their Thanksgiving meal and Christmas Cookies) their mother didn't mix with ectoplasm ingredients.

"At this rate, mom's gonna be the world's leading paranormal scientist." Jazz announced proudly.

"Good," Danny chuckled, "this way, if I get any injuries, I can just have her fix me up."

Jazz frowned slightly. "You know, she's been starting to nag about telling dad, lately. Have you thought about what you want to do? What you want to say?"

"Not really," Danny admitted as they stepped into the living room. "I've been so busy trying to figure up what Vlad's planning, I haven't really had time to think. Mom mentioned trying to ease into him into the "good ghosts" theory and she hasn't told me how that's been going." His lips tugged down as he thoughtfully pondered. "I'm thinking we should also start trying to convince him that Phantom can be good." He sighed and moved into their recently redecorated dining room as he plopped onto the kitchen table, leaning back against his chair as his sister took a seat across from him. "I'm just scared of how he'll react when he finds out I'm half de... DESPERATE TO HAVE SOME FOOD!" Danny suddenly emphasized, earning a bewildered look from his mother and sister.

The two women narrowed their eyes and followed Danny's nervous gaze, training their eyes to the door. Much to their surprise, the older Fenton man suddenly barged into the house, an excited grin lighting his face as he breathed in the scent of real food.

"Danny! Jazzerincess! How are ya kids?!" He excitedly rushed over to the table, making no effort to be silent about it.

Jazz and Danny glanced at each other, both quietly promised to continue their conversation another time.

"So, family!" The jovial man boomed with ecstasy. "What have you been doing while I was gone?"

The three relatives suddenly stiffened and forced innocent smiles on their faces as they prepared to tell their lies.

**A/N: Okay! I'd like to thank you all for your patience. As you can see, I finally posted up the next chapter! Sorry about any technical errors, it's rather late.**

**Review, please? **:D


	3. Questions

**A/N: So, sorry about the late updates. Massive case of Writer's Block. I can't write. Nothing's flowing. So I went back and edited this page before posting it up.**

A glowing mass of ectoplasmic energy shot across the sky, emanating from one of the two tiny figures that floated just above the city's tallest building. A few curious people had peered up at them with mild curiosity but immediately dismissed it; no one was able to really see anything other than a few dots in the sky. '_Probably birds.'_

The people of Amity Park would immediately conclude it was of no importance, and nearly all of them continued with whatever it was the citizens of America's Most Haunted City did. Everyone, that is, except Jack Fenton. He had recently received a call from one of his fishing buddies (a few guys that he had met on a recent trip), insisting that those figures in the sky were ghosts.

As soon as he was aware of his friends' beliefs, Jack was in the Ghost Assault Vehicle and stomping on the pedal before he had even begun to process what was going on. He was parading down the streets at full speed, once in a while losing control and giving a few of the innocent bystanders quite a scare.

He hadn't the foggiest idea that he was unbelievably lucky that no cops were ever around to see his insane driving abilities.

He pulled over the side of the road and snatched out his binoculars, zeroing in on the figures. All he could catch a glimpse of was a blur of black and white and another greenish blob in the distance. He smiled and triumphantly decided that the two entities were glowing, although any other person would insist that the glows were questionable from his point of view.

He smirked and instantly dashed into the building, running past a few confused office men, and slipping into the elevator. He pushed the "23" button, excitedly watching as it lit up before waiting patiently as the elevator lurched into sudden movement.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

Danny shot another ecto beam as the ghost launched towards him, its teeth bared into a hideous, menacing smile. Personally, Danny was finding this fight a bit annoying. The ghost was a teleporting entity and was not only constantly sneaking up on the teenage hybrid but also kept disappearing every time Danny aimed the Thermos at him.

Another beam shot past Danny's head, slicing a few strands of his perfect sliver locks, earning a frustrated growl from the hybrid. "Hey!" Danny frowned as he spun and released a flurry of ecto shots. "Watch the hair!"

According to Sam, the featureless (unless you counted the red eyes), humanoid ghost had been terrorizing anyone who came up to the roof and was beginning to become a problem and a hazard of people's safety. Tucker shouted as he peeped out from behind the railings, looking through his own pair of binoculars. "It's your dad."

"What?" Danny glanced over his shoulder, instantly regretting the distraction when the ghost shot at him. "Whoa!"

The boy struggled to regain his balance before launching after the spiritual entity. "Damn it." He hissed as he painfully rubbed his bruising chest.

"Danny!" Sam burst through the door, "he's taking the elevator!"

The teenager, surprised by the goth's abrupt entrance, briefly lost his focused for the second time that day. He looked away for just a split second, and a split second was all his opponent needed. It shot the hybrid, took off at full speed, and disappeared with a pop a few meters away from the building.

Danny lurched forward, gravity suddenly taking a hold of him as he rapidly shot towards the growing, square tiles.

The boy landed—with a painful thud—on his stomach, rolling around a few times before stopping at the girl's combat boots. He groaned and weakly peeled open his eyes, just in time to see a familiar ring pass over his head. "Ouch," he hissed.

Sam's mouth dropped open in horror as she bent down to help her friend. "Oh my god! Danny, are you okay?"

Danny winced as she helped him rise into a sitting position, gentle hands dusting the debris off the top half of his suit. The snide retort at the tip of his tongue suddenly disappeared when his eyes met her amethyst ones, stripping him away of any coherent thoughts.

"I-err- I mean, um, I…are fine." He cleared his throat and avoided her gaze as a blush crept up his fine. "I'm fine."

"Well, good," she snapped, "Because your dad-"

Her voice was cut off as the doors burst open. The familiar man in the bright orange jumpsuit stormed in as if on cue, a weapon hoisted on his right shoulder.

"Where is it? Where's the ghost?" He bellowed, frantically spinning around while he searched the now empty sky.

He dropped the gun to his side upon noticing the absence of the supernatural entities, hope clearly visible in his eyes as he turned to the kids for an explanation.

"Actually, Mr. Fenton," Sam cut in, "Danny, Tucker, and I came here for…sightseeing! And, well, the ghosts left." She finished with a shrug, pointing into the other direction.

"Did you see the Phantom ghost kid?" Jack boomed out, gaze swerving to focus on Danny.

"Um, no?" Danny responded weakly.

"Sorry Mr. Fenton," Tucker cut in, "none of us got a good look at the ghosts. They were, uh, superfast! Yeah, that's it."

"Aw." Jack slumped suddenly, a deflated look etched on his face.

"Well, kids," Jack muttered, very much resembling a wounded puppy, "I guess I'll give you a ride home."

The three teenagers exchanged glances as they silently followed the older Fenton out the door.

"So, uh, dad," Danny cleared his throat nervously as they entered the elevator. "Mom's been, um, you know, talking about the good ghosts theory. Is it…true?" The raven-haired teen prodded as they began descending.

"Hm…" Jack paused briefly, suddenly lost in thought, "well, if your mother's questioning it…I suppose it's possible."

"So, is there a chance Phantom's good?" Tucker bluntly questioned, pushing his glasses up with a finger.

Danny blanched as Sam angrily—and painfully—elbowed the techno geek.  
"I suppose," Jack responded, his gaze suddenly thoughtful. "It's just…hard to believe. I mean, ghosts aren't supposed to have emotions. And, Phantom keeps acting good then turns around and does something bad. But Maddie says it's possible and if Phantom saved her once…" His voice trailed off before he focused his gaze on the three shorter people. "You know the Ghost Boy and I talked once. He seemed so human, but I thought it was because he was young. I even considered the thought of him living amongst humans but…I guess-"

There was a small ding that interrupted the man as the thick, metal doors slid open. A businessman was talking to a security guard in the distance.

Without warning the suited man spun around and turned to angrily point at Jack and the teens.

"Run!" The man boomed as he giddily bounded out the bright revolving doors, the less giddy kids dashing after him.

**A/N: Sorry if it seems a bit rushed but that's all I have for today. ;) The next chapter'll be more interesting with Jack and Phantom officially meeting each other.**

**Review?**


	4. Truce

**A/N: I am so terribly, terribly sorry for not updating sooner. College is really…time-consuming.**

**But I finally finished this chapter and I'm so proud!**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own Danny Phantom.**

Phantom flew forward, his fists glowing with powerful, glowing green ecto rays that were released in a perfect angle as they hit their target. The ghost was short and green-ish looking with pointed ears; red slits for eyes; and a short, blue, flowy dress. The adversary was a little girl with a large bow on her golden curls and black flats protecting her small feet.

At first, in an attempt to make peace with at least one ghost, Jack had thought of approaching the kind-looking, innocent spirit. That is, until, the child suddenly grew fangs and a forked tongue and began terrorizing a woman who bent down to talk to the tearful girl.

Phantom had swooped in before Jack had time to react, distracting the demonic girl and giving the bystander a chance to escape.

The creepy toddler was a lot stronger and a lot faster than anyone would ever anticipate, and even Phantom seemed to have a hard time with her. Jack noticed the girl was incapable of flying too far from the park. Her obsession, he observed, was tied down to the area.

The bulky, bright man sighed and lifted his ecto-gun. He shut one eye and leaned forward, squeezing the trigger. A large mass of thick, glowing energy shot out from the Fenton Grappler and the little girl was suddenly ensnared in the net, giving the ghost boy an opportunity to suck her into something he really couldn't catch sight of.

The kid landed on the ground, a smirk planted on his teenager-y face.

Jack cleared his throat and the ghost kid spun around. His eyes widened incredulously, and he instantly sprang up into the air, a fearful gaze planted on his face.

"Wait!" Jack shouted. The kid paused mid-air before he glanced down at the older man. He bit his lip, his glowing orbs darting towards the sky and back to the Ghost Hunter. He seemed to be briefly mulling over the decisions of fleeing or staying. He sighed and seemed to come to a resolution, ultimately floating ever-so-slightly closer to the man. Jack shielded his eyes from the blinding sun as he struggled to get a good look of the spiritual entity.

"Phantom," he cleared his throat, "I just wanted to say…I'm going to…" he paused and took a moment to release the words in his mouth, "ease up on you. I still don't like you, but I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself for some time."

The boy, Jack could just barely make out, curiously cocked his head to the side.

"Temporary truce?" Jack inquired as he extended a hand.

The ghost peered down at his hand and furrowed his brows.

Phantom floated lower, almost to Jack's level. And, for the first time, Jack noticed how…short the teenager was. He was probably no older than say…fourteen or fifteen. To the man's surprise, the kid's expression morphed into a small smile that suddenly made Jack feel uneasy…

He could almost feel something nagging at his brain. The man dismissed the feeling as suspicion and put his emotions aside as he patiently waited for the truce.

The boy hesitated but eventually extended his own arm, grasping Jack's hand.

He had a surprisingly firm grip and…cool skin. "Truce," his echoing voice responded. "It's all I've ever wanted."

A sound to the right jerked both their heads to the right. There was a commotion and, though Jack couldn't interpret what the cause of the sound was, Phantom seemed to immediately recognize it. He frowned, his aura dimming. "Um, the paparazzi are coming. You know, those people are even creepier than ghosts. They're all over the place." He chuckled before immediately retracting his hand, smiling sheepishly.

"We'll talk some more later," Jack responded solemnly, eyeing the teenager with open, undisguised suspicion.

The kid beamed as if having been stripped of one of the weights on his shoulder before fading out of visibility just as a herd of cameramen appeared in the distance.

Jack slipped away, nonchalantly walking down the street and acting as if nothing had happened. He whistled, though he was inwardly struggling to decide whether or not he'd made the right choice in placing his trust in Phantom

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

A week later, Danny leaned over the railings and peered down at the ground; ultimately estimating he was over fifty feet up in the air. Not that he was sure, because he was truthfully never that good at math.

"Danny, I think you should consider yourself lucky he's even considering the possibility of Phantom being good," Sam's voice echoed from the Fenton Phone.

Danny chewed on his lip and peered up at the cloudless, baby blue sky. "Not lucky enough if my mom wants me to tell him before she leaves to the Paranormal Scientists Convention in two weeks. Dad still doesn't entirely trust me. I mean, Phantom-me."

"Hey," Sam stubbornly repeated, "I'm sure he'll accept you just like your mom did."

"_Anyways," _Tucker's voice suddenly echoed from the Phones, interrupting the friends, "about the whole Vlad thing. All we've got is that he may've sent a few ghosts to rob some money for him. But what I don't understand is why he didn't just overshadow people to 'donate' some money to him again."

"Well, he could've been too busy to do it himself." Danny sighed. "This is going no where, guys. Whatever he's up to, he's being too tight-lipped about it. I think we should give up. We'll just wait to see what happens and try to fix it if we can."

"Nu-uh. No way," Sam immediately interceded. "Better safe than sorry. Besides, the sooner we figure out his plan, the sooner we can come up with a solution and _avoid _having anyone get hurt. Danny, you can't just drop what you're doing."

"Well," Tucker sighed, I don't care as long as it doesn't end up with me getting in trouble. Oh, guys, I gotta go. My mom's-" there was an abrupt pause before Tucker's voice suddenly became muffled as he yelled something indecipherable to whom they all knew was his mother. "Bye!" He shouted before hanging up.

Danny smiled to himself as he leaned forward, his body angling over the edge of the top of the tall building. "I gotta go, too. My dad thinks I'm in my room doing homework."

"'Kay. See ya," Sam responded before hanging up. Danny leaned dangerously out, hands tightly gripping the rails before letting go.

The ground rapidly rushed out beneath him until he finally shot upwards, heading home.

**A/N: I'm gonna see if I can add a little more action in the next chapter. I don't know. We'll see where we end up. ;D**

**Anyways, review please? I would really appreciate it !**

**I'll also be answering reviews again. If I have enough. **


	5. Visitors

**A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner. I got Writer's Block for this story and never got around to getting down to write it. And when an idea finally surfaced, I was delayed by a doctor who informed me of an over growth of nerves on my back.**

**It was this thing that kinda looked like a bug bit, tiny and hardly noticeable but it irritated the hell outta me. Fortunately, it was benign.**

**Benign as in safe: nothing dangerous (but they're running checks just to make sure).**

**I also had a cyst or something, I'm not really sure what that is either but the doctor says it's not dangerous either.**

**Anyway, TMI. So, let's get this show on the road.**

The feeling of flying was an indescribable one. The closest Danny had ever been able to associate it was falling off a ten story building and knowing you'll never hit the ground.

It was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.

Even now that Danny had been doing it for almost a year, it was still an exciting notion. He shot up around the air, twirling and flipping and releasing all of his worries and just let himself _be._

He smiled as the wind brushed through his mass of untamed silver locks.

Finally, after exhilarating himself with the familiar rush of freedom, he flew back towards home. Instead of his usual rapid pace, he slowed down, gliding across the sky at approximately thirty miles per hour.

He descended, feeling the temperature slowly rise. The ground suddenly grew larger, the ants became cars and the small blocks became buildings and houses.

His speed decreased even more so as the large FentonWorks sign grew larger by the second.

The teen smiled as he searched for a safe place to land. It was already midday and his patrol had gone uninterrupted. No ghosts were haunting Amity at the moment. (That is except for the Box Ghost, whom Sam had called a few times to report.)

Besides that, the day had brightened significantly when his Goth friend promised to stop by after dinner with her parents and grams.

Finally the teenager ducked behind the large abode and reverted back into his human form. It took a moment for his legs to stop wobbling and his heart to regain its regular, slower speed. He trudged around the corner and walked up to the front steps of the house.

He paused catching sight of his reflection in their house's window. He frowned and attempted to comb down some of his badly windblown hair.

He smiled, satisfied when his hair went back to its usual _mildly _tousled self, and strolled into the front door.

But the moment he walked in, the human-ghost hybrid noticed something different. The second thing he noticed was the familiar-yet-out-of-place scent. It was an outdoorsy smell. He sniffed and immediately deciphered the scents as cinnamon-y with a hint of fir. He frowned.

But the first thing he had noticed was the sudden shift in the air. Something tickled at his soul, something different. His senses suddenly and lightly intensified.

"Mom…?" He began cautiously.

His mother stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a small, white towel. She brightened at the sight of her son finally arriving home. "Hi honey!" She eagerly tossed the towel aside and rushed over to plant a kiss on her son's forehead.

Danny frowned and absentmindedly wiped away at the spot she'd kissed him at. He craned his neck and narrowed his eyes cynically. "What-"

"Danny, you'll never guess who stopped by!"

Danny turned his suspicious gaze to his mother. "Uh…"

Without even having time to guess, a figure stepped out from behind the kitchen doors.

She had long dark hair that reached down to slim, curvaceous waist. An unusual plain, white, flowy dress that was wrapped around her voluptuous body, and sandals placed over her small feet.

On her arms, she held a small bundle. A little something wrapped in blankets.

Her green eyes sparkled as they found Danny's piercing blue ones. "Danny!" She exclaimed.

"Alaqua," a wide smile broke across Danny's face as the eighteen-year-old woman rushed up to him and wrapped her free arm around his neck in a brief hug.

"Hey! I didn't know you were coming!"

Alaqua flashed him a dazzling smile. "Yes, ah, phone call. We call your mother, surprise!" She raised her free hand; her contagious laughter bounced across the wall.

"This is Aminah." She nudged the bundle toward him and, before he knew it, it was in his arms. "Uh," Danny swallowed nervously and pressed his lips together, peering down at the small person in his arms.

She was chubby-faced, pale, and absolutely adorable. She had hair as black as her father Helako and eyes as green as her mother's. "She's beautiful," Danny exhaled and gently brushed a few of her dark strands. She giggled and Danny's heart melted at the sight of her.

It was strange holding such a tiny, delicate, wriggling creature in his arms. She was just so….well, tiny and fragile. But warm, he noticed. Her chubby face suddenly grew curious as she reached out with her small hands, her warm fingers wrapping around his own cool one.

"Aw, I think she likes you, Danny." Maddie placed a gentle hand on her son's shoulders.

Alaqua leaned forward as Danny carefully handed the child back to her mother.

"She seem to have my gift." Alaqua smiled as she gazed down at her daughter, identical eyes lighting up with affection. "Better. Strong spiritual energy."

"Yeah, I can tell." Danny nodded, rubbing the hand the little girl had touched. She had an inquisitive aura about her. Strange, different. He wondered if anyone else had noticed.

"Fascinating," Maddie murmured. "I wonder how many other humans have the same effect on ghosts. And what about those humans gives them that ability."

Maddie suddenly withdrew into her own musings.

"There's not been one like us in our village in centuries," Alaqua slowly responded. She paused and mulled over her words before responding. "It very…rare."

The redheaded mother sighed and waved her hand, pulling herself out of her wandering thoughts. "In any case, I'd like you to feel at home. You, Enequero, and Helako can remain here, if you'd like."

"No. Ah, hotel." Her thin lips widened into a polite smile.

Danny's head tilted to the side as her heard somewhat faintly the sound of footsteps approaching the door. He pulled his eyes to the entrance. Maddie and Alaqua peered at him before following his line of gaze.

Danny jumped up the moment they heard a tentative knock on the door.

The teen hero swung open the door.

Danny blinked, taken aback by what he saw. The first was a familiar, short, slightly overweight man with a faded gray t-shirt, torn and worn jeans, and sneakers.

The second man he recognized as Helako, Alaqua's husband and Aminah's father. The twenty-year-old man was—oddly enough—wearing a plain white t-shirt, faded jeans, and brown flip-flops that seemed new. His long, black hair, though it was pulled into a low ponytail, reached all the way to his back. Danny wearily eyed the crossbow that was slung over his back before peering down at a knife-looking weapon that was half hidden behind a brown belt.

"Helako." Danny nodded in greeting at the tall, solemn man before turning to their shorter translater. "And, um, En-Enrique-quero?" He stuttered out, a faint blush spreading across his face.

"Enequero!" The man snapped in return. He sighed and grit his teeth. "May we come in?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sure." Danny moved aside and ushered his visitors inside.

Danny awkwardly cleared his throat as he stood beside Helako who was about a foot or two taller than the hybrid.

Maddie greeted them while the Native Beauty brightened at the sight of her husband.

The next few hours passed by in a blur. The group gathered out in the backyard as Maddie prepared some steak. Jazz later returned from a walk with a Fenton Thermos in her hand. She had been trailed by the Natives' pet wolf, _Spiritus, _who had caught a whiff of Danny's sent on Jazz and followed her to their house. At that point she'd caught him into the Thermos and felt utterly guilty when she realized it was their pet whom she'd trapped in the container.

Jazz, after recovering from her guilt, busied herself with speaking to the American Indians, intrigued about learning of their culture. Most of her conversations with Enequero were focused on their ways of life and of the Danny's, Alaquah's, and Aminah's special abilities.

Helako, though silent throughout the lunch, took pleasure in showing Danny his bow. Fascinated, the Fenton teen eagerly watched and struggled to understand the older man as he showed him how to use the bow.

Although Helako's English was limited, there was little communication required as Helako proudly revealed his abundant weapons. There were poisonous darts, his bow and arrows, his handmade knife, and a small revolver he rarely carried around with him.

Maddie was animatedly conversing with an eager Alaqua; each one was sharing information about ghosts and spiritual people.

By dawn, the Natives excused themselves and reassured the Fentons that they would return the following day.

After the cab took the interesting group of people (and an invisible _Spiritus_), Danny and Jazz returned inside to help their mother with the dishes.

"Well, that was interesting." Jazz commented brightly as she pulled down the blades to cover their kitchen window.

"Yeah," Danny agreed as he dried one of the dishes his mother handed over. "They're a great group of people, huh?"

"It's a shame your father wasn't here to finally meet them." Maddie sighed and rinsed off one of their cups.

Danny nodded. "He could've gotten Alaqua's perspective on ghosts."

"Hey, where is dad, anyways?" Jazz inquired as she leaned against the sink. "He was supposed to be here an hour ago."

"I don't know." Maddie shrugged as she turned off the sink's faucet. "But I'm starting to get worried. He hasn't called to tell us he was coming late."

"Weird." Danny muttered. "Where could he be?"

No sooner had the words escaped his mouth, the door suddenly swung open and in burst Jack.

The three relatives were silenced immediately at the sight of the patriarch. The man was completely coated in grime and mud, his bright orange suit hidden behind a layer of dirt. A hint of dried blood rested on the corner of his lips and his thin hair stuck out in various directions.

Rage radiated from the older Fenton's blue eyes; his lips were curled back, baring his white teeth like a mad, rabid dog.

He slammed the short, unknowingly leaving behind an extremely large dent on the pale wood.

"The truce is over!" He shouted angrily. His eyes flashed with fury. "Phantom is going to _die _if it's the _last thing I do._"

Maddie gasped and Jazz's hand flew to cover her open mouth.

Danny paled and instantly began trembling at the sight of his father's ferocity.

The man's words echoed in his ears and shrieked into his mind.

"_I'm going to kill Phantom._"

**A/N: That's it for now, peoples!**

**Once again, I have no time to thoroughly revise and edit, so I'll leave it for another time.**

**Review, please?**


	6. Repercussions

**IMPORTANT A/N: **

**I am so, so, _so_ Sorry! The chapter I uploaded was the _wrong_ _one_.**

**Shit.**

**Here's the REAL chapter 6.**

**Well, ****f I owned Danny Phantom, I would probably be a rich person. I'm not rich and I don't own this wonderful series either.**

Jack snapped his jaw shut as he tossed aside a Fenton Thermos. The man angrily wiped at a dark smudge on his flushed face and silently seethed as he stomped up the stairs without another word.

"Jack?" Maddie breathed, completely astounded at her husband's reaction. She glanced down at her shell-shocked son, briefly squeezing his shoulder before instantly slipping after her husband.

"Danny, are you okay?" Jazz blinked and worriedly peered at her brother. All the color had drained from his face completely. His lips were pale and his skin had lost all it's remaining color, leaving behind a dull gray shade to his face.

His glazed eyes remained staring at the door with a dumbfounded expression.

"Danny?" Jazz placed a gentle hand on her brother's shoulder.

The touch seemed to immediately snap him out of his stupor because, in an instant, Danny stumbled backwards. "Whoa, now. Danny? Come on, get up."

She reflexively reached out to lend him some support, her arms grasping his shoulders, stopping him from tumbling backwards.

The girl heaved as she struggled to maintain her surprisingly heavy brother upright.

He was limp and nearly lifeless, and, though Jazz was internally screaming, she managed to utter out a sarcastic remark. "Great. You're in shock."

She sighed and wondered how she would get her baby brother.

The redheaded teenager jumped when the door swung open.

A familiar female waltzed inside, silently shutting the door behind her. She was engrossed in rummaging through her spider backpack and was, therefore, unaware of the situation.

Jazz opened her mouth to question the teenager's arrival but she was cut off.

"Hey, Jazz. Danny." Sam's eyes lifted from her bag and fell unto the siblings. Jazz seemed to be struggling with the weight of her kid brother. "Danny? Ohmigod, what happened?"

The teenage Goth rushed over and pulled Danny's arm around her own shoulders, lifting some of the weight herself.

"Couch." Jazz muttered. "He's in shock. Hell, _I'm _in shock. I've never seen my father so…scary."

The two girls heaved as they dropped the hybrid's body onto their tan-colored furniture.

"What happened?" Sam inquired as she fanned out a sickly-looking Danny.

Jazz placed a hand on her head, mentally reviewing everything since their father's grand entrance. "Dad ended the truce all of a sudden and said he'd kill Phantom. Don't know why. Not really sure I want to find out just yet."

Jazz sighed and gathered up all her sanity before straightening up. "You stay here, I'm gonna see if I can get anything out of mom and dad. Just…" she paused and rubbed a hand over her face. "Call me if he has a panic attack or something."

She turned and trotted up the stairs, flashing her brother a concerned look before disappearing.

"Oh, god. The world is spinning." Danny placed a trembling hand over his forehead, wincing at the suddenly bright lights of the living room.

"Hold on!" Sam clamored as she ran into the kitchen. She snatched up a small towel, soaked it in water, and jogged back to the couch where Danny's body was still shaking slightly.

Sam flashed the boy an anxious glance as she placed the damp cloth over his sweating forehead. "You okay, Danny?"

Danny groaned and allowed his eyes to close. "Yeah, just—you know—terrified out of my mind, I guess."

"Danny," Sam murmured with attempted comfort, "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

The hybrid's eyes suddenly lifted to glare at Sam. "You have no idea how bad it really was." He sighed and leaned his head back, relaxing when Sam replaced the towel over his forehead.

"Well, did he say why? I mean, this is your _dad _we're talking about. He must've had a reason for just coming out and threatening Phantom's life."

"Like what? Phantom didn't do anything to him. I was patrolling in the morning and talking to Alaqua and her family this afternoon."

"Really?" Sam raised a brow as her interest was piqued. "The Natives came here?"

"Not the point." Danny sighed and his eyes fluttered open. Sam jumped when the boy struggled to sit up. "Look, my dad was _pissed. _No. Not even. He was…it was like he was out for revenge. Like all the hatred in the world was caused by _me._"

Danny leaned forward and placed his head in his hands, ignoring the wave of dizziness that passed through him. "Oh, God. What am I gonna do?"

"Oh, come on, Danny. Everything'll be fine." Sam sighed and moved to sit beside her best friend.

The teenage Goth reassuringly wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulders.

"Thanks Sam," he muttered quietly. Danny exhaled and raised his eyes to gaze back at the girl.

Sam peered up and blushed profusely, instantly withdrawing her arms. "Sorry."

Danny avoided her eyes as he cleared his throat, an equally deep blush blossoming across his face. "Nah, it's fine."

"So," Sam began, shaking off her embarrassment. "Um, is there any reason your dad would suddenly change his mind?"

"No. I don't think so. There were no ghosts out, so I came home and stayed with Alaqua." Danny sighed. "He _did _come in completely covered in filth."

Sam glanced away from Danny's clear eyes and scanned the living room. Her wandering eyes instantly zeroed in on an object that had been carelessly tossed to the floor. "Hey, is this yours?" Sam rose from her seat and swooped up he Fenton Thermos into her hands.

"Uh, no. Dad brought that in a while ago."

"Danny, it's full." Sam replied, her gaze flickering to the hybrid.

"What?" Danny suddenly rose to his feet. An action he instantly regretted. The world spun rapidly around him, causing him to nearly lose his balance. Sam was at his side in a moment's notice, placing one hand on his back and the other on his cheek.

"Danny? What's wrong?" Sam glanced up at him with a concerned expression planted on her face.

"Nothing. I'm fine." The teenager waved her off.

"You don't _look _fine." She glared at the boy and held him in place, placing a hand over his forehead. She gasped and her hand immediately retracted.

"Sam, you're just overreacting." Danny shook his head and stepped forward. Unfortunately, the boy was once again consumed by lightheadedness, causing him to stumble forward and unto all fours.

"Danny, you're not fine. Your temperature is as high as mines. That's never happened since your accident."

"Huh?" Danny's eyes snapped up to Sam as she bent forward and helped him back to his feet. This time, she struggled to carry his weight.

With some strenuous effort, the duo managed to get Danny back unto the couch. "God, the world keeps spinning," Danny groaned.

"Well," Sam disappeared behind the kitchen but her clear voice echoed out from behind the walls. "I don't think you're having an anxiety attack. I think you're really sick."

The Goth emerged from the kitchen with another damp towel and a thermometer in hand. "Come on, let me take your temperature."

Danny crossed his arms and grumbled something unintelligible but Sam paid him no heed and mercilessly thrust the gadget into his mouth.

At that moment, the teens glanced up at the sound of feet trotting down the stairs. Jazz appeared a few moments later, quickly scurrying down the steps. "Hey, Danny. Mom's with dad right now but he's not saying much. He's-"

She glanced up to see Danny leaning against the couch and Sam reaching for a thermometer.

"Uh, what's going on?" The redhead flashed the couple inquisitive glances.

"Well, Danny's not feeling well. And I don't think it's a panic attack." Her amethyst eyes flickered down to the thermometer and she bit her lip. "And, apparently, his temperature's gone up eighty two point one."

"82?" Jazz's brows suddenly flew up and she flashed her brother yet another worried glance. "That's over ten degrees higher than usual." Sam pointed out. "I think he's getting sick."

"Great," Danny hissed. "I don't have _time _to get sick. Just…" His voice trailed away and he flashed his sister a hopeful glance. "What about dad?"

"He's not talking," she lowered her gaze and pulled up a seat beside him. "Mom's been trying to get some information out of him but he won't say anything. Danny," she sighed and bent down beside her brother. "He's…I've never seen dad like this. Did you do anything? Did see him on patrol?"

"No!" Danny sat up suddenly, groaned, and placed a hand on his head.

"Danny!" Sam reprimanded as she placed a hand on his chest, keeping him from tumbling forward. The two girls gently helped Danny lay back down.

"This is not good. He's dizzy, has no sense of balance, and he can't stand up for five seconds without falling." Sam tore her eyes away from the teen and focused on Jazz.

"Well," she bit her lip, "what do you feel, Danny?"

"_Dizzy._" He hissed. "Lightheaded. Exhausted. Um…there's butterflies in my stomach. That's it," he admitted as he flashed his sister a questioning glance.

"Okay. We'll have to get mom. She may not be a doctor but it's the closest thing we have right now."

Danny nodded and watched as his sister slipped out of the room.

"I'll go get you another towel," Sam murmured before she once again slipped out of the room.

The last thing he saw before darkness consumed him was the flash of her concerned, amethyst eyes before she slunk into the kitchen.

**A/N: ****Wow, I finally finished the sixth chapter. Things are gonna get interesting from here on out.**

**In any case, I was suddenly hit by two new fanfic ideas. Do you have any idea what it's like to have about five stories pounding in your head, whining about wanting to get out? Not easy. Especially not for College Freshmen. It's probably why I accidentally posted the _wrong chapter._**

**Hopefully, I'll wrap up the two I'm working on now soon so that I may update the other two later.**

**I've got a lot on my plate.**

**Anyways, review, comments, and basically any feedback is accepted.**

******...** Sorry about the mix up. ...


	7. Occurrences

**A/N: Danny Phantom was created by Butch Hartman. Therefore, this great cartoon does not belong to me.**

There was a small touch on Danny's shoulder that lifted him from the peaceful depths of sleep.

Light was the first thing that filtered through his eyes. He squinted and tried to blink the slumber out of his heavy body.

"Danny, come on now. Wake up, sweetheart." Danny groaned and turned on to his side, wearily blinking up at his mother.

"Where am I?" He inquired, taking note of his surroundings. NASA posters, night table, alarm clock…

He realized with a start that he was in his own room.

"You're in your room," Maddie explained. She sighed. "You had a high fever last night. Sam, Jazz, and I have been taking turns checking up on you the whole time you were sleeping."

"Really?" Danny rubbed his eyes and shifted into a sitting position, carefully testing his strength. "Well, I feel okay," he admitted.

Maddie held her breath as the teenager rose to his feet. He stood on his tiptoes and stretched as if just waking up from a good night's rest.

"Danny, are you sure you're okay? You had recurring fevers last night."

"How'd I get up here?" He exhaled and smiled, sitting back on the bed. His mother flashed him a suspicious gaze. "Your father carried you up here. Danny, you sure you're fine?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Better than last night, that's for sure."

"Okay…well, your father left early this morning and I don't think he'll be coming home anytime soon."

Danny rubbed a hand over his eyes, frowning as the memory of his ferocious father flickered through his mind. He hesitantly peered up at his mother. "Mom, did dad say anything to you last night? Did he…"

"No." Maddie sighed and flashed her son a sympathetic gaze. "I'm sorry, Danny. He won't talk to me. At least, not yet. Maybe we should give him some space for now."

Danny nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor as his mother placed a warm hand on his cool cheek.

"Well, your temperature went back to sixty nine a couple of hours ago, but I still think you should take it easy. Try not too strain yourself too much."

"Sixty nine? But…isn't that _not_ normal?" Danny inquired.

"Well," his mother sighed and retracted her hand. "Ghosts are usually between fifty-five to sixty degrees. Humans are around ninety. According to my tests, your normal temperature should range between sixty-eight and seventy-one." Danny sighed in relief and ran a hand through his tangled locks.

"Now, how about we go downstairs and get you something to eat?" His mother smiled and motioned for him to follow as she slipped out the door.

Danny fixed himself up before dashing downstairs.

The smell of eggs, baked bread, pancakes, and bacon wafted through the air and Danny's mouth water, his stomach rumbling in response. He smiled and dashed to the kitchen.

As it turned out, Sam had slept over the night and helped his mother whip up some food and, according to his mother, the Goth remained by his side in his room. The comment caused the two teenagers' faces to flush.

Meanwhile, as he was told, his father had been consumed with hunting down Phantom and had left Maddie with a completely full Fenton Thermos.

After explaining this to her son, Maddie advised Danny to lay low for a while, insisting that he needed to steer clear of his father until they got to the root of Jack's problem.

Danny didn't like this suggestion.

The trio bickered about what to do. Maddie and Sam argued that Danny needed to rest _and _lay low, while Danny protested, claiming that he had a duty to fulfill for the citizens Amity Park. He then proceeded to point out that it would be dangerous to allow Jack to continue on his ghost-hunting rampage.

The argument lasted for hours and Danny put up a pretty good dispute. Unfortunately, he was outnumbered three to one after Sam called Jazz.

Each decided to keep watch of Danny. Maddie even went so far as to carry around a few of their Fenton inventions, threatening Danny with a frightening glare.

After half an hour of watching Danny seethe and listening to his incessant complaints, Sam suggested inviting Enequero, insisting that it'd be a perfect distraction and a great opportunity for her to meet her friend's newest allies.

So, they did.

Moments after they called, the Natives arrived at the Fenton household.

Sam was especially delighted to meet them.

The group was invited out for a walk around the Amity Park Festival that had recently opened up at the park. The Indians admitted to being grateful for the open air and were genuinely delighted at having a chance to further explore the city.

Unfortunately, things never went as planned.

…

The group consisted of Helako, Enequero, Alaqua, Aminah, Danny, and Sam.

The six of them wandered into the large market where people were excitedly buzzing around the park.

Most people, especially children, were immediately drawn to Helako. Not because he was a tall, broad man with long braided hair and dark skin, but because he had arrived to the park dressed in the same Indian attire Danny had first seen him in.

That _and_ he had his bow and arrow with him.

The older man was extremely intimidating but, instead of repelling the citizens, he would draw a curious crowd.

Enequero and Helako eventually slipped into a fast food restaurant, drawn by the smell of roasting meat, leaving the girls—and Danny—off to search the crowded place for an empty table.

Finding no tables, the quartet remained standing under the shade of a large tree.

"Hey, Alaqua," Danny cleared his throat and peered down at the small child in the young woman's arms. "May I hold her?"

Alaqua beamed in reply, nodding as she gently handed her daughter over to Danny. The dark-haired babe smiled up at the hybrid, a delighted squeal erupting from her tiny mouth.

Danny flashed Sam a surprised glance after hearing a giggle escape her throat.

"I think she likes you," the Goth pointed out, leaning over the tiny girl.

"Really?" Danny flashed the squirming baby a curious glimpse before allowing a small smile to appear on his face. "Do you like me?" He cooed, tapping her tiny nose with his finger. "Does Aminah like me?"

The little girl laughed in ecstasy as Danny lightly tickled her small chest.

"Oh, she's so cute!" Sam gushed with a wide smile. She extended her arms and Danny passed Aminah to Sam.

"Aminah like you two." Alaqua commented as she leaned against the tree. "You be great parents when have your own childs."

"What?" Sam's mouth dropped. "We, uh, we're, uh…"

"You-you got it all wrong. We're, uh, not having children together." Danny raised his hands.

Alaqua, obviously befuddled, frowned. "Why not? Lovers have children. No? Ah, you two is couple?"

"Oh, no." Sam blushed. "Danny's not my boyfriend. We're not together."

Alaqua's abrupt laughter surprised the teens. "Ah, silly children. So naïve."

Danny blushed profusely but, before he had a chance to respond to her comment, Alaqua straightened up immediately, peeling herself away from the tree. She clenched her fingers into a tight fist, her muscles suddenly tensing up.

Danny and Sam instantly froze when a familiar voice rumbled out from behind the young, teenage hybrid. "Yes, they are quite naïve, aren't they?" There was a pause. "Hello, little badger."

The duo turned to face Vlad, though his cold, gray eyes were glued to Alaqua. "And who might this be? A new friend of yours?"

Alaqua glared at him, a cynical yet guarded expression embedded in her green eyes.

A smile spread across Vlad's face. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Valdimir Masters the mayor of this fine city. And you are…?" He extended an arm, offering his hand.

Alaqua flashed him a suspicious gaze, giving him a once over. "Alaqua." She replied curtly, folding her arms across her chest.

The old villain retracted his hand but remained smiling. "Alaqua? What a pretty name. Daniel," Vlad shifted his gaze to the younger hybrid who was openly glaring at the city's mayor. "You haven't introduced me to this fine young lady." He gestured towards Alaqua.

Vlad's attention instantly shifted to a glowering Sam who was rocking the baby in her arms.

"And who is this adorable little child?" He smiled and leaned over Aminah who was tightly gripping Sam's forefinger.

"May I hold her?" He questioned.

Aminah's gaze suddenly flickered to Vlad. She scrunched up her face, green eyes scrutinizing the tall man. "Hell, no," Sam responded with a hiss.

Vlad frowned and his gaze found Aminah's. He scowled at her before glancing up at Sam. "Look, I'm not going to hurt her. Just let me…"

He extended his hands towards the baby but, apparently, she wanted no part of him.

An unexpected wail immediately exploded from the baby's mouth.

A yelp escaped Vlad's throat, and he instantly clamped his hands over his ears. He dropped down to his knees groaning with evident pain.

Danny also had immediate effects. He grasped his head and groaned in pain as he stumbled back, collapsing onto the tree for support.

Sam instantly handed the baby over to Alaqua who rapidly managed to settle her baby, quieting her down to soft sobs.

Vlad staggered backwards and leaned against a thick telephone pole for support. "What in the hell was tha-?" Vlad cut himself off mid-sentence, jumping when an arrow struck the pole, inches away from his face. He blanched as he glanced at the arrow before allowing his eyes to wander back to its owner.

Helako was rapidly approaching the group and didn't stop stomping until he hovered over a recovering Vlad.

Enequero was rushing up to them, glancing around at the small crowd that had gathered to watch the odd group.

Using gestures to communicate, Helako made it explicitly clear that he wanted Vlad nowhere near his wife and child.

"Vlad," Sam smirked. "This is Helako—Aminah's wife. And their translator, Enequero." She gestured to the man behind the Helako.

Vlad straightened up, smoothed out his silver locks, and calmly adjusted his suit.

He respectfully nodded his head once. "Well, it was…interesting meeting all of you. Now, I must deliver a speech. Daniel, Samantha."

Vlad backed out of their way and disappeared into the crowd of people.

"Danny, are you okay?"

Sam inquired as she moved over to stand beside Danny who was peeling himself off the large trunk. "Yeah. I think so…" He straightened up and glanced around. "What the hell was that?"

Alaqua bit her lip as Aminah grasped a strand of her hair. "Aminah…unhappiness not good of ghosts."

"Look, how about we take this somewhere else." Enequero suggested. "Helako's made it clear he doesn't want to stay."

"I, too, feel the other hibrid is still near. I no trust him." Alaqua hugged her baby tighter as her green orbs scanned their surroundings.

"It's hybrid," Enequero corrected, "not hibrid."

"Right." Danny nodded before shaking his head, freeing himself of whatever it was that had briefly tormented him.

Sam wrapped her arm around Danny's, flashing him a concerned look.

"I said I'm fine," Danny reassured her.

"Alright," Sam replied skeptically without, Danny noticed, releasing her grip on him. She craned her head to look at Helako who was speaking to Alaqua in hushed but irritated tones. "Let's just go before Vlad comes back asking questions."

The group instantly scurried off, neither of them aware of the cold, calculating, gray eyes that followed them until they escaped the market.

**A/N: I apologize for taking so long to post this chapter! I've had a **_**serious **_**case of Writer's Block.**

**I also start school **_**and **_**work again tomorrow and I'm gonna be pretty busy these next couple of months. Especially since I have difficult classes.**

**But I'll try to update more frequently. I think I've got a pretty good idea of where this is headed.**

**Sorry if this chapter is rushed or just plain bad.**

**I haven't really proofread it yet, but I would still appreciate some reviews.**


	8. Rampage

**A/N: I am not dead! Just filled to the brim with busy work!**

**So...**

**Please don't be too upset with me.**

**I obviously don't own Danny Phantom.**

"Mom, come on. Do we really have to do this?" Danny groaned as his mother passed the light in front of his eyes.

The six of them had arrived at the Fenton household no more than fifteen minutes ago. The group strolled towards Maddie who was clearing up her living room and quietly informed her that there had been an incident at the park. They hadn't wanted to reveal too much in the presence of their father who, although was easily distracted by fudge, had a keen ear that easily picked up on any ghost-related conversations.

Their brief comment caused the mother's eyes to light up with concern. She turned to her baby boy and informed him that she wanted to make sure he was really okay, insisting that he needed to be checked up.

Alaqua had ordered Helako and Enequero to distract Jack and lead him away from the living room so that the parapsychologist could ensure her son's well-being.

Meanwhile, Sam and Alaqua had lingered near Maddie, a slumbering Aminah resting in the Goth's arms.

After gathering her supplies, the mother ordered Danny to sit at the kitchen table.

Danny didn't bother his reluctance at being examined.

"Yes, we do." His mother replied firmly, placing her mini flashlight back into her bag of medical-like instruments. "Well, your pupils are dilating and constricting normally...for a human. Your temperature's normal. You seem to be completely fine."

She swiveled her head to look at the exotic Native woman. "Now, I'd like you to tell me what happened with a little more detail." She straightened up and placed her kit on the table, turning to face Alaqua.

The dark-skinned woman seemed relieved to know that Danny was in good health.

"It was that fruitloop!" Danny piped up from behind his mother.

"Fruitloop?" Alaqua echoed questioningly.

"Yeah, Vlad Masters," Sam explained. She was standing beside Alaqua, gently rocking the baby by swaying back and forth.

"Ah, yes." Alaqua nodded, shifting her weight to her right foot. "He made me uncomfortable. And it seems he has same affect on Aminah. Aminah cried and somehow caused Vladimir and Danny be in pain."

"Interesting." Maddie bit her lip as she whipped out her notepad and pencil. She peered up at her son. "What did you two feel?"

Danny paused, searching for the right words to explain what had happened. "Um, it was like a sudden migraine. It felt like I was slowly getting weaker." Danny ran a hand over his face, recalling the feeling.

"Ah, so sorry. Spiritual energies…vary from person to person." Alaqua apologized as she moved to sit beside Danny. She gazed at him remorsefully. "We, uh, didn't know what Aminah's…abilities will be. I think they will grow, too. She is remarkable psychic. We must keep Aminah as content as possible."

"Well, at least you're okay now." Maddie muttered in relief.

"He was sick last night," Sam muttered to Aminah. "We were sort of hoping the incident hadn't affected him too badly."

"Oh, well. That explains why his aura was so estrange." Alaqua remarked. She seemed to be speaking more to herself than to the other two females.

"My son's aura is what now?" Maddie questioned suddenly.

"His aura. Everyone has one—ghosts and humans alike. Ghosts and human auras are obviously distinctive, but Danny's is completely different in comparison to humans and ghosts. But, even for a hybrid, his aura is acting strangely. It keeps...brightening and dimming. There are several explanations for that, but I originally assumed it was because of some changes that are stemming from his core."

Maddie blinked and glanced at her son who seemed as surprised as she was. She had more questions for Alaqua, who was obviously more knowledgeable in that aspect.

Unfortunately, in that moment, Jack burst into the room. His timing was, as usual, completely terrible.

Alaqua flashed Maddie a concerned gaze as Jack ushered into the kitchen with the two other men. "We need to watch him. Whatever's going on, we need to control it."

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

Hours later, Danny found himself leaning against the counter, hearing Sam's chatter about the recent Terminatra movie.

The Goth girl had called her parents and insisted that she'd stay with Danny over the weekend.

Apparently, Alaqua's message had shaken them up. Maddie theorized that Danny was bound to get sick again. If his core was unstable, she said, there was no telling what could happen or when something could happen. Apparently, his falling ill the previous night could've been a warning sign of something to come.

A warning of what exactly?

They didn't know.

Alaqua decided to remain at their house and had currently plopped down in the living room couch sitting comfortably on the couch, her eyes trained to the television.

Her husband and Enequero had run off to trail after Jack in case of an emergency and her daughter had fallen asleep in the guest bedroom, leaving the young woman alone to watch television.

She firmly believed Danny would have another episode and decided to stay in order to help out.

To add to their list of worries, Jack had stormed off, uttering an ambiguous comment about hunting.

The sound of his words had nauseated Danny, an unsettling and foreboding feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

He wondered what had caused his father's sudden determination in "exterminating that filthy, putrid, good-for-nothing ghost."

Jack ignored Maddie's protests, shrugged off his daughter's persistent questions, and remained unaware of his son's uneasiness.

No one was quite sure of what to do and, because Danny's health was their priority, the women of the household decided to wait for Danny to strengthen up and Jack's anger to cool down before finding the underlying cause of Jack's wrath.

Danny didn't agree.

Especially since his father could very well hurt an innocent ghost while on his rampage of pursuing Phantom.

The thought sent his heart racing, the anxiety welling up inside him.

"Danny, you're not listening."

At the sound of his name, Danny was pulled out of his musings.

Sam was staring at him, her lips puckered and her brows furrowed with worry. Maddie had peered up from the plate in her hand, her hand frozen on the now dry platter in her hand as she tediously analyzed him.

The mother was most likely unaware of Danny's troubling thoughts. Unfortunately, nothing he did went by unnoticed by the headstrong teenager whose amethyst eyes were boring into him.

Danny frowned. "I was thinking dad could seriously be hurting someone right about now. And how _I_ should be the one out there protecting innocent people_._"

He bit his lip and fiddled with his fingers.

The nausea intensified, his heartbeat quickened. More distressing thoughts came to his mind as he thought of all the possible damage his father was capable of creating.

He could feel his forehead rapidly growing moist as frightening thoughts immediately began flowing from his conscience.

"I can't just be _sitting _here, _waiting _for someone to get hurt." He anxiously glanced down at his pale hands. He bit his lip and immediately came to a resolution. "I need to go."

He abruptly leaped out of his seat.

"Danny, you can't go." Sam rationalized, gazing deep into his crystalline orbs. "You're no good to anyone if you're going out there sick and _vulnerable. _You're just gonna end up getting in the way."

"I have to go," Danny firmly replied, his hands closing into a tight fist.

"Danny," his mother snapped. "I have already made it clear that I don't want you out in this condition. You are under house arrest, _no excuses_. Look at you! You're fidgety, pale, and..." she paused and narrowed her eyes. "Are you sweating?"

"House arrest?" Danny scoffed, anger building. "You can't _keep _me here."

He spun on his heel and stormed towards the door.

Alaqua immediately got up. Her emerald eyes, instead of emanating kindness, had grown hard. He could nearly sense the intangible determination that radiated from her—the intangible aura of strength engulfing her. "She may not be able to prevent you from leaving, but I can. I placed a charm on around your property. You will not be able to move past the yard. And, even if you could, you would'nt not get far. You're developing a fever."

A startled noise erupted from Maddie. He could hear her shuffling out of the kitchen.

"_The hell if I can't,_" he snapped, once again storming towards the door.

He heard his mother cry out, fear lacing her words. "Danny, wait!"

He shrugged off the command and swung open the door, out into the open air.

Cluttered out on the lawn were a few items his father had left lying around.

A few cars lined the street; one of the streetlights flickered over the desolate road.

There was no sign human life, nor any sign of ghost afterlife.

Danny marched on. In his unreliable mind, he had decided to go out and fight ghosts. Stop his dad if need be. After all, he couldn't bear it if anyone—human or not—would get hurt because his father was blindingly angered by Phantom.

He didn't get more than two meters across the yard when he felt his feet stop. He glanced down at his worn tennis shoes, commanding them to move. They stubbornly refused.

He glanced up and caught the faintest sight of a clear shield that engulfed the area around his home.

Danny spun on his heel and turned to face the three women who were standing at the entrance of the door. "What the hell is this?" He inquired.

Neither one responded; they knew he knew the answer.

A sudden wave of dizziness caught the hybrid off guard. He wobbled unsteadily, unable to remain upright.

The wind, he noticed through his muddled mind, began to pick up its speed.

"You have to let me out," he murmured inaudibly.

There was a sharp, painful tug at his core that caused him to involuntarily recoil. His arms reflexively wrapped around his abdomen.

Several items surrounding him, including the Fenton Barbecue Set and the grill instantly rose off the ground. A considerable amount of energy escaped his body as the items floated.

Danny vaguely heard shouting somewhere in the background. An even more fierce piercing pain excruciatingly yanked at his core. The agony sent him to all fours.

Black spots blurred his vision, threatening to consume him.

"_Daniel!_" He heard a voice shout.

He glanced up. Unbeknownst to him, he was wearily gazing through glowing green orbs. His mother and Sam had their arms raised, protecting their faces from the treacherous wind and a few small items that whipped past them.

Alaqua, on the other hand, wasn't protecting herself.

She was muttering—no, she was _chanting_ in a native tongue. Her eyes were focused on the indiscernible shadows that floated in the air around him.

Her arms were raised over her head, palms facing forward.

Her dark hair resembled long tendrils that whipped in harmony with the fierce wind. Her green eyes seemed unusually bright, radiating power.

With a final shout—command—from Alaqua, the yanking ceased and the objects dropped down to the ground with a loud crash.

The dark spots suddenly began flooding across his line of vision.

He caught sight of Alaqua swaying a little, a hand fluttered to her forehead.

Danny suddenly found himself gazing upward and, to his horror, noticed a few cars—probably ten feet up in the air—gently lowering to the ground.

The neighbors' grills and lawn items dropping down around him.

He brought his eyes back down as his vision blurred and more dark spots continued to cloud his line of sight.

His last image was of Sam dashing towards him, her face contorted into utter concern.

Or was it fear?

He never would find out as he succumbed to blissful sleep.

**A/N:**

**To Hawkeyelover who asked how to prounounce Alaqua's name: Ah•la•koo•ah ...****Hope that helps. ^.^**

**Thanks to Manzanita for pointing out my naïve mistake of inaccurately portraying modern day Native Americans.**

**I promise to fix it later but, because of Midterms and the overwhelming assignments and work...**

**I won't have time.**

**I also vow to **_**try my best **_**to update as frequently as possible, but that's about as much as I can do. _Try._**

**So, here's the next chapter!**

**The next chapter will probably focus on Jack a little more. Perhaps I'll reveal the reason for his rekindled—if not worsened—obsession of hunting Phantom.**


	9. Problems

**A/N: I realize I've been totally MIA for, like, what? Two months? Yeah, that sounds about right.**

**Well, I was busy with Finals, I was in an accident, and something else happened that I will refrain from mentioning.**

**So much is going on that I haven't been able to update, and I am truly, truly sorry for not doing so.**

**Hopefully, this chapter is making up for my absence.**

**Let's rewind and go back to the day where all of the real problems began.**

**Here's Jack's POV.**

_**3 ~:~Three Days Earlier~:~ 3**_

Jack bustled about the kitchen, eagerly providing as much help as he could give his wife who seemed to be all over the kitchen.

In fact, lately she seemed to be happily bouncing all over the place. She cooked and cleaned and dove into her work with more intensity and fascination than ever before. Her work was something she placed extra focus on, as she decided to make some "minor tweaks" to a few of their inventions.

Things also seemed to be less tense between Jazz, Danny, and Maddie. The mood in their home seemed to brighten significantly. Now while he was happy about the strengthened relationship Maddie had with their kids, Jack couldn't help but feel as if he was missing something. Something his wife didn't want him to know about.

When he had confronted her about her recent unusual, euphoric state of being, she replied that it was because she'd discovered ghosts' abilities to feel emotion and their ties to their humanity, and she was "just excited about this new revelation." Her response made sense, as she had been intensely engrossed in her books and work lately.

But Jack still felt like she was withholding information, so he'd also asked about whether or not she talked to Danny about Lancer's phone call in regards to the teens at school harassing him, but she had vaguely responded that it was all taken care of. This piqued Jack's curiosity and he interrogated her about it. After all, it seemed like Maddie and Danny's connection had grown significantly since the trip. Jack doubted their stronger bond derived from talking about bullies while wandering around lost in the forest. He also didn't believe that their discovery of "good ghosts" had anything to do with the mother-son relationship.

He asked but, unfortunately, Jack was always met with abstruse answers from the pair. Eventually, he stopped querying them about their camping trip. Something happened out there, and he trusted his wife or his son would reveal these things to him when the time was right.

For now, things seemed to be perfect with his family.

Things became even _more _perfect when he announced his truce with Phantom to his wife and kids who responded with an enthusiasm that took him aback.

Their family was steadily becoming closer. Their bond was growing.

"Kids! Time to eat!" Jack peeped around the corner and peered into the dining room, eyes falling on Jazz.

The redhead was leaning against the couch, nose buried in one of those large textbooks that Jack made a point of avoiding. "Where's your brother?" He inquired, noticing the absence of his youngest son.

Jazz didn't look up from the book. "He stepped out for a bit."

"Well, where'd he go?" Jack pressed. "Is he not gonna eat breakfast?"

Jazz's eyes immediately snapped away from her reading. She closed her book and opened her mouth to respond.

"Kids! Breakfast is ready!" Maddie interrupted, entering the dining room with a large tray that was overflowing with food. The sight reminded Jack that his stomach was empty.

"Where's Danny?" Maddie blinked as she glanced at the empty seat across from Jazz.

Jack noticed Jazz shifting her gaze from her father to connect with Maddie's sparkling eyes. "He stepped out. Said he had to stop by Sam's house."

For a moment, Maddie didn't respond. She sighed and placed the tray on the table. She dusted off her hands and placed them on her hips. "I swear, I'm gonna give him an earful about skipping breakfast."

"Don't worry, Mads!" Jack boomed, placing a hand on the beautiful woman's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine. I'm just disappointed he's missing out on such a delicious meal!"

She shook her head. The annoyed frown morphed into a smile. "He's still gonna get an earful, Jack. A strong growing boy needs his nutrients. Now how about we eat?" She gestured for the family to sit.

Jack obeyed and delightedly sat down to eat with the female members of his family.

The man practically inhaled his food. As was custom, he was the first to finish.

He had originally intended to go back into the lab and work on making some enhancements on the Fenton Xtractor when Jazz turned on the television.

Jack tuned out the sound but, somehow, the words "ghost attack" reached his ears and snatched his attention.

He jumped and exclaimed, "Ghost!"

And, with that, he took off.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

Jack was mighty disappointed when he arrived at the outskirts of the nearby town. As it turned out, the cops (as they had recently decided to start doing) were helping evacuate the area as people scattered away from the imminent danger.

One of the officers attempted to stop him from going the opposite direction of safety, but Jack easily brushed them off. Few cops made a move to stop him, though that was either because they recognized him as a local ghost hunter or because they noticed large bazooka propped on his shoulder.

He sped over to the location of the reported ghost attack: a large warehouse that was apparently owned by a furniture company.

Jack studied the building's exterior as he stopped a few feet away from the warehouse.

There was quite a bit of land surrounding the place. The nearest house was a couple miles away. The gray pavement was dotted with black smudges on the ground, which, upon closer inspection, Jack recognized as charred spots.

This ghost, whoever he was, must've been pretty determined to get into the warehouse.

Jack moved his feet, keeping as silent as possible. The inside of the warehouse overwhelmed his nose with the scent of wood and fresh paint. All of the machinery was completely shut down, the only light provided by the sun peering in from a scarce amount of windows.

Jack stepped forward and listened as the sound of clattering noises that erupted from the back of the shop.

He jogged over to the area from whence the noise came from, carefully maintaining himself hidden.

He peered over a stack of wood and found the source of the chaos.

His mouth dropped open and he lowered the weapon he'd been hauling around.

"Phantom?" He inquired, rising to his feet.

Sure enough, there was his newest ally. The boy's snowy hair was matted against his head, held there by some sort of moisture coating his forehead. (The scientist _refused_ to believe it was sweat, as ghosts did not possess the glands that were needed to release it.) His suit was torn in various places, but Jack observed in fascination. The boy's HAZMAT suit possessed the ability to rapidly repair itself. The ghost boy paused and pulled his glowing green orbs away from the bag filled with wooden blocks. He wore an astonished look on his face.

"Phantom," Jack lamely repeated. "What..._you're _the one who's causing all this damage?"  
"Jack Fenton?" The boy inquired. He peered at Jack as if he were befuddled by the man's presence. Phantom paused and absentmindedly scratched his arm. He smiled sheepishly. "There is a perfectly logical explanation for this."

Jack huffed and curled his fingers into a fist. "There _is _no explanation for injuring a bunch of workers and stealing from their workplace."

The boy's glowing orbs narrowed, a cruel smirk lighting his lips. "Nah, you're right. There isn't any explanation." He paused briefly, adding, "At least not a justifiable one."

"I _warned _you!" Jack growled, the cruel sting of betrayal whipping against his heart. "I gave you _one chance _and you blew it! Why? Why would you help my family out there in the forest and then turn around and break your promise with us?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Phantom placed his hand on his hips, releasing his hold on the bag. "I was trying to earn your trust." He paused and shrugged. "What? Did you think I just _happened _to _coincidentally_ be there to help your family?" Phantom shook his head. "It's a shame really. I was hoping I'd keep fooling you long enough to steal all the things I need from right under your noses."

Jack stood frozen in place, a combination of horror, unbelief, and anger paralyzing him.

Phantom snickered. "But now that the jig is up, I suppose I could use Massie, Danny, and Jass as leverage. If you tell anyone I was here, I'll kill them."

Phantom shrugged.

Jack growled. The rotten ghost didn't even have the decency to remember his family's names. "Not if _I _end your afterlife first." He raised his gun. A horrified and terrified look flickered across Phantom's face. Jack pulled the trigger and repeatedly shot at the ghost boy. Unfortunately, he missed. The boy lugged up the bag into the air, dodged the fires, and took off.

Jack cursed.

He had been practicing and practicing his aim. Thanks to Maddie, his improvements amazed even himself. He rarely missed a target.

So how come he had suddenly been unable to fire at least one shot at the teenage boy?

He shouted in exasperation. His voice echoed across the empty warehouse.

And thus began his promise. He vowed to hunt down the evil phantom that threatened his beloved family.

Jack hunted Phantom down the rest of the day but, instead, came across a dozen other useless ghosts who couldn't tell him where the putrid ectoplasmic waste of a teenager was.

He had intended to announce that his truce with Phantom was over, but by the time he burst through his front door, Jack was covered in sweat and grime. He could feel the bruises growing beneath his HAZMAT suit.

The words that blurted out of his mouth were harsher than he had intended. "The truce is over!" He shouted angrily. His eyes flashed with fury. "Phantom is going to die if it's the last thing I do." He paused and glanced at his kids. "_I'm going to kill Phantom._"

He stormed upstairs and shut the door behind him.

Moments later, Maddie rushed up to him, supplicating him to explain to her what had happened to change his mind. The father simply relayed the information to her, shouting about wanting revenge on Phantom.

She tried to soothe him, insisting that she needed to know the reason for his vindictiveness, but he didn't tell her anything.

Jack wasn't sure why he didn't want to tell his wife what had occurred. Maybe it's because he had a feeling his wife wouldn't believe him since Phantom supposedly saved them during their camping trip, especially since Jack had a history of accusing Phantom of being evil without having any reliable evidence that said otherwise. Or maybe it's because he was, on some level, disappointed with his wife and son for not letting him in on the secret they've shared since returning.

Whatever the case, he couldn't concern himself with these trivial matters. He had one goal in mind and he would see through to it till the end.

_**~:~Present Day~:~**_

Danny's eyes fluttered open.

He lifted his hand and shielded his eyes from the too bright light that poured into his room. His arms were unbelievably heavy and his body was bound to the bed by exhaustion. Lifting himself into a sitting position took a lot of strength.

He grunted in surprise as Sam burst into the room.

She glanced up and her sparkling eyes brightened at the sight of the teenager's consciousness.

"Danny!" She beamed as she briefly stepped out of the room. "Guys! He's awake!"

Sam immediately scurried back inside. "How do you feel?" The Goth placed a warm hand over his head.

Danny leaned into her touch. "So tired," he muttered. "Drained."

"That's because your powers went overload yesterday," Maddie spoke up from behind the teenagers.

Sam retracted her hand and Danny found himself utterly disappointed by the action. He tugged his focus back unto his mother who leaned against the doorframe, smiling.

"Telekinesis." His mother beamed and clapped her hands. "My hypothesis was correct! You _are _getting stronger. At a rapid pace, too. You're developing more powers."

The woman waltzed over to stand beside her son. She patted his hand reassuringly. "You need plenty of rest, today. You lost control yesterday and you'll no doubt be feeling exhausted for a couple more hours. You'll have to stay in bed until you recover your strength."

"But, what about the ghosts?" Danny blurted out. "I can't just leave this town unprotected. Danny Phantom has to be out there protecting the town." He pointed out the open window.

"Tucker and I are handling it," Sam grinned. "We've decided to take over today."

Danny frowned disapprovingly. Sam huffed in response. "Oh, come on, Danny. It's not like we've _never _covered for you. And we help you fight bad guys on a daily basis. Besides, your mom's providing us with these _awesome _weapons." She smirked. "I'm sure we can take over the hero business for a few days."

"But-"

"No, buts, young man." Maddie interrupted. "We'll all be taking turns helping you out today."

Danny's mouth dropped open. "You can't just—I mean, we're—I'm supposed to be out there saving people not under house arrest!" He dramatically threw his arms up, regretting it immediately. His arms were sore.

"Technically," Sam cut in, "you're not under house arrest. You're under recuperation."

"The minute you recover," Maddie continued, "you will start training with Alaqua. You'll learn to control your powers without exerting yourself, and _then _you can go out ghost hunting."

Sam folded her arms across her chest. "Until then, you're staying in this bed."

"Jazz and I are making breakfast downstairs. If you need anything, holler." Maddie peeled herself off the wall and moved to kneel beside Danny. She pecked her son's forehead before breezing out of the room.

Danny's gaze wandered to Sam. He noticed she hadn't yet left his side, which made him wonder if she'd been here the whole night. The empty chair positioned by his bed indicated that that was definitely a possibility. "Well, I'm leaving. Tucker's waiting for me down at the plaza, for a quick patrol."

She turned and Danny grasped her hand before she could leave. He locked their gazes. "Sam, where's my dad?"

Her amethyst eyes bore into his own before she dropped her gaze to the floor. "He told us he was going out and said something about unfinished business," she admitted.

Danny swallowed and nodded, glancing down at his hands.

"It's gonna be okay, Danny. He'll come to his senses eventually."

His eyes widened when he felt her soft lips press against his cheek. He watched, dumbfounded, as she finally departed. His cheeks burned angrily and the spot where she had pecked him felt almost electric.

He smiled softly and relaxed in his bed, disoriented by the foggy daze that clouded his mind and the fluttery feeling in his chest.

A shiver and a familiar mist that slipped out of his mouth snapped him out of his stupor. He glanced out the window and heard a loud crash coming from a few blocks down the road.

He jumped out of bed, pausing to balance himself from the sudden wave of dizziness.

If Sam were here, he thought, she would tell him that was a sign of his body's incapability to function properly due to his lack of recovery. "Orthostatic hypertension," he told himself. "It's because I got up too fast, not because I'm still weak."

He smiled, satisfied with his reasoning. The rings appeared at his middle and traveled through his body.

A split second before he took off, he heard his sister cry out in surprise. He ignored the sound of her voice shouting his name with obvious vexation. He settled on heading towards the source of distress.

**A/N: Dunno if there's any errors. I reviewed it, so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes.**

**Reviews will be much appreciated.**


	10. Walls

**Okay, so I went to the mall yesterday and I got this really cute turquoise blouse that's got some shimmery designs at the sleeves.**

**My sister and her best friend (both are preps) approved.**

**Also, I saw the movie **_**Now You See Me, **_**and let me just say it was mind blowing.**

**Loved it and I'm recommending it to y'all.**

**This got me in a good mood and I promised to update today.**

**Anyways, go back to the day that Danny lost control of his newly discovered telekinetic powers.**

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

_Rewind: _

Each house within a mile of the Fenton household had a messy yard. In fact, the closer they got to Jack Fenton's house, the worse the scenery became. The first thing Jack noticed was his neighbor, who lived about two houses away, had a few items carelessly tossed around the front lawn. The disarray was comprised of a few of his children's toys and two bikes. Strange, he thought, because the owner of the property always kept it nice and tidy.

The owner of the next house they came across was even stranger. The woman's car was parked on the recently mown lawn. The husband's car was half on the sidewalk and half in the street. Their neighbors' bush also had the Fenton Lawn Mower lodged between the roses. It was almost as if something had carried all these things up in the air and decided to carelessly drop them back to the ground.

Jack's eyes widened when he saw his house was the worst of them all.

His neighbor's sleek red car was standing between the Fenton and Jameson properties. The vehicle had somehow crushed their recently built fence and had an innocent flowerbed jammed beneath the tires. He caught sight of the Fenton Barbecue and several plant pots on the roof.

A sleek black Civic Honda sat in the middle of the front lawn. To whom it belonged to, Jack had no idea.

He also spotted a small clubhouse made entirely of plastic laying on its side, on the road across his peculiar home.

Jack was sure that the backyards must've looked a hell of a lot worse.

He gaped and pulled the GAV over.

"Must've been a freak wind storm," Enequero rationalized. "I've seen them only once or twice before."

Jack frowned, wondering if his family was okay.

It was strange, though. The young gangly trees that their neighbors had recently implanted into their properties seemed intact, and they were certainly not as heavy as the vehicles that were strewn around. There were also no leaves gathered up on the floor, as there usually was after a windy day.

Jack didn't want to dwell on it for now. He was just praying that no one had been outside while this had happened.

The three men exited the vehicle.

Jack was the first to arrive at the door. He gently tugged it open and silently stepped inside.

"...were green. Clearly, this was triggered by his emotional state. He must've been under stress or duress when it happened."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Maddie's voice.

Jazz, Alaqua, and Maddie were gathered at the table. The three women were deep in conversation. Their expressions were all somber, which startled Jack because Alaqua, like Jazz, was always smiling.

"Maddie!" Jack stepped over to the girls who jumped, startled. They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they clearly hadn't realized that Jack had returned with Enequero and Helako, both of whom had only just entered the house. "Are you guys okay? Everything's a wreck out there."

He briefly hugged his wife and daughter who had suddenly grown tense.

"Yeah," Enequero piped up, "must've been some kind of freak storm."

Maddie cleared her throat. "It was! It only hit this area, though."

Jack furrowed his brows in concern, glancing around the area for his son. "You guys are okay, right? Where's Danny?"

"He's upstairs with Sam," Jazz blurted. "He's been feeling sick since yesterday, so mom and I are gonna be taking care of him."

"But he's okay," Alaqua reassured him. Her sudden change of topic stumped Jack. "The storm came so suddenly and struck hard. I don't think the weathermen were anticipating such a thing to happen."

Jack's frown deepened. Nothing about the supposed 'freak storm' made sense, but he wasn't about to voice his thoughts to his family and guests.

"Well," he sighed, "I'm just glad you're okay."

He rubbed his face with his free hand. "I'm going to bed."

Maddie and Jazz flashed each other a glance, each understanding one another without the need for spoken words.

Jack didn't bother to properly dismiss himself before his guests and, instead, trudged up the stairs.

He paused in front of Danny's door, flashing the knob a weary look.

The muffled sound of movements emerged from behind the door.

Sam was in there, looking after his son. Funny, the girl seemed to be with Danny far more than Jack had ever been.

Footsteps emanated from the bottom floor, causing Jack to keep walking.

He slipped into his room, well aware that his wife was following close behind.

By the time Maddie entered, he was already pulling on his pajama shirt.

"Jack, honey, what's the matter?"

Jack sighed. He couldn't lie to her, and she was still obviously wondering why he had developed a vendetta against Phantom.

He remained silent for a long time and simply stood there, thinking about what he was gonna say.

He avoided looking directly at her. After all, it was her twinkling eyes that always convinced him to speak whenever something weighed him down.

It was her reassuring smile that always brought him to shift some of the weight off his shoulders.

Now, here she was, patiently waiting for him to talk, but something kept him from telling her about Phantom.

"You should go check on Danny," he replied finally. Moving around to slip into the bed. He pulled the covers up to his chin and shifted so that he lay on his side. Staring at the wall was easier than catching a glimpse of his empathic wife's clear eyes. "I'm gonna go to sleep."

Maddie sat down beside him squeezed his shoulder like she always did whenever he was upset. "Jack, you're going to have to tell me eventually. I don't like that you're keeping these things to yourself. I need to know what's going on between you and Phantom. Whatever it is, you know I'm there for you."

Maddie shook her head disappointedly.

But Jack didn't want to worry her. She had an ill Danny to look after _and_ she was working on that new equipment _and_ she had the convention coming.

No doubt, she was stressed. Jack figured she didn't need to know that Phantom was a danger to the family nor that the ghost kid was definitely sneaking around and plotting something big.

Besides, that supposed freak windstorm was obviously not a storm at all. Clearly, Phantom had been here and used his powers to threaten his family.

So, Jack remained silent and waited until Maddie finally stepped out.

Her leaving left him some time to think.

And boy did his brain once again serve to his benefit.

He developed an idea.

One that would keep his family safe.

Jack took off the following morning, briefly stopping to inform his family that he had unfinished business to attend to.

Maddie protested, arguing that their son was obviously unwell and his presence as a parent was required, but he left anyways.

No doubt, if Maddie found out what he had done, she would be pretty upset.

But considering they rarely had any ghostly visitors, she wouldn't be too furious.

As long as there were no ectoplasmic entities around, she would never notice.

As with most things, Jack was completely oblivious to the fury he was going to face.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

Maddie was standing in front of the television, watching the news. She had a bowl in one hand and a whisk in the other.

Cooking—actual cooking—was quite a workout, she decided.

Her original plan was to shut herself up in the lab and tinker with the equipment, but her son wasn't in the best of moods.

Her little hero was probably itching to go out and hunt ghosts. He was more like Jack than he cared to admit. And her recent observation of his true personality indicated that he was as stubborn as the older Fenton.

No doubt, he would try to escape, _if_ he hadn't done so already.

So, she might as well try to make his jail-like days enjoyable. Alaqua already had several challenging sessions planned out for the rest of the week, which would surely keep him busy enough.

This week would be mostly work for Danny and she figured small things like, say, a piece of cake or an occasional video game time would lighten things up around the house.

All work and no play...

Well, Danny would go insane, and she planned to try to balance it out for him.

She was intensely engrossed in the cooking show before her, but she was also keeping slightly alert.

She had learned a thing or two about her son these past few months.

One of them was that he had to protect anyone in immediate danger or check out anything that set off his ghost sense.

She was surprised that he hadn't tried to escape yet.

The screen flickered to commercial when she heard Jazz's vexed voice bounce across the walls. "_Danny!_"

Rather than go upstairs, Maddie sprinted towards the window. She set the bowl on the sofa and pulled back the curtains.

Just as she expected, Danny was hovering over the house.

He had hesitated briefly, glancing over his shoulder before floating off.

"Oh, no he doesn't!" She hopped off the sofa and trotted towards the door.

A shout of pain reached her ears the moment she touched the knob.

"Danny?" She yelped in fear.

She kicked the door open and froze, eyes widening in terror.

Danny was plastered against an almost invisible wall of what she recognized as the prototype invisible ghost shield or the Fenton Shield Shocker, as Jack had temporarily named it.

It lived up to its name.

Electricity, which had been activated by her son, surrounded the clear, shimmering wall. Danny remained stuck to the wall, screaming in pain for a full minute before dropping down to the ground.

The boy slammed into the ground, causing Maddie to snap out of her stupor and leap into action.

She dropped to his crumpled body just as the white rings appeared at his middle.

"Danny!" She placed a hand over his cheek, shivering when one of his rings harmlessly passed over her hand.

He didn't respond.

This was not good. Her son was electrocuted while he was still in this weakened state.

Now, instead of taking a few hours of rest, it would take him the remainder of the day to recover. He would be bedridden until tomorrow.

"Mom!" Jazz appeared behind her. She quickly glanced around the vicinity, catching sight of a two-year-old kid who was staring at Danny with open surprise. Thankfully, there seemed to be no other witnesses in sight.

"Jazz, you're gonna help me get him inside, okay?"

Jazz nodded. She wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder, taking half his weight.

Maddie mirrored and they struggled to drag him inside. "Is it just me or does it seem like Danny's been going unconscious way too many times this week?"

Maddie ignored her daughter's observation.

It's true. This week was _not _going to be fun for her son. Team Phantom would have to collaborate to prevent any further harm from coming to Danny, especially this week in which his newest powers were still developing and fragile.

The duo dropped him onto the long couch.

Sympathy flowed out of Maddie. She brushed the bangs out of his face.

"Will he be okay?"

"Yeah. The shield was just a prototype. It's supposed to electrocute ghosts upon contact, intended as a warning to back off. Unfortunately, there are a few bugs. From what I deduced, the effects aren't long lasting. Poor Danny is about to be the one to confirm this theory."

"Well, why would anyone put up the shie..." Jazz paused and their eyes met. "Mom, this can't keep going on." She shifted her concerned gaze to her brother. "Dad could really hurt him."

"I know." Maddie sighed. "But with the whole revenge thing he's got going on...we can't tell him about Danny yet. Not until we solve this whole dilemma. His reaction could be unpredictable."

"Mom, I think that, right now, you're the only one who can talk some sense into dad. And you need to do it soon because this is getting too far."

"Believe me," Maddie's eyes darkened. "I intend to force the information out of him."

Jazz sighed. "So, will Danny be okay to start training tomorrow?"

"I'm thinking that he should recover by tonight." Maddie predicted. "He'll be fine, but he'll wake up feeling pretty...bad."

Jazz sighed. "I'll go check up on Sam and Tucker, see how they're doing."

"Honey, turn off the shield while you're at it." Maddie ordered.

Jazz nodded, turned, and left, leaving Maddie alone with her baby boy.

**A/N: Finally done with this chapter. I'll edit my mistakes later.**

**Review, please?**


	11. Dual

**A/N: I am so sorry! I know this story is long over due. Hopefully, the length will make up for that!**

Jack ducked and blasted at the ghost.

Taking advantage of the ghost's inability to defend itself, Sam activated the Fenton Thermos, trapping their opponent within the container.

"See," she smirked, capping the container. "We're not completely useless."

Jack had to admit, these kids were pretty darn good at this. A few days ago, he would've jumped at the thought of being able to develop their impressive potential. He probably would've even dragged them into the lab to test and train their remarkable hunting abilities. But, right now, Jack had a particular target in mind, and he didn't want these children caught in the crossfire. He was concerned about their safety, and he was fairly certain his son's friends would protect Phantom as well as any other ghost that Jack would try to hunt down. And Phantom didn't need any protecting. In fact, Jack intended to obliterate Phantom-end his afterlife.

"Yes, well, I'm hunting down Phantom and this isn't a job for kids." The man glared at Tucker who shrank a little under the glare.

Jack had been wandering around the neighborhood with Helako and Enequero, chasing down a ghost when-surprise-he ran into the children. They were near the outskirts of town. It was dusk and the sky was unusually cloudy. Sam and Tucker, for some reason or other, bumped into the three men and had stuttered out the excuse that Maddie and Jazz had sent them to bring back Jack.

They seemed to have no reasonable explanation as to how they found Jack so quickly. He had assumed that they had also been chasing down the ghost, but immediately dismissed the notion. Whatever the case, the older Fenton didn't really care about why they had come. What he _did_ care about was that these teens were becoming a nuisance. He had gotten a lock on Phantom's ecto-signature and the Fenton Tracker had pointed him in the direction of a warehouse, which is where he had been headed.

Unfortunately, Tucker somehow managed to drop the Tracker and step on it, rendering it useless.

"No offense, Mr. Fenton, but I highly doubt that we're gonna find Phantom out here." Sam placed a free hand on her hip, tossing the Thermos to Jack.

He grit his teeth. "The Ghost Tracker detected a level six ghost somewhere in this area. Phantom's level six." He briefly shot Tucker an angry look before focusing on Sam who continued protesting. She'd been bringing up arguments since they'd run into each other, mostly about the way Jack was bad-mouthing ghost, particularly the ghost who went by the name Phantom.

"Sir," she began, obviously vexed by Jack's stubbornness, "what reason would Phantom have for coming here, in the middle of no where? There's nothing out here but a few houses and an electronics store."

"I don't know," Jack admitted. "But it fits the pattern. First, he robs several items furniture from a warehouse, then machine parts from a factory. He _would_ head for the a place that sales electronics."

"Mr. Fenton says the boy is building something, but we haven't had any Phantom sightings thus far." Enequero explained.

"Well, I think this is a huge misunderstanding," Tucker announced.

Sam nodded in agreement. "And, no offense Mr. Fenton, but there was no one inside Eric's Electronics. What makes you think Phantom'll be waiting around out here?"

"He could've been invisible for all we know," Jack argued.

Sam huffed. "With all that equipment you carry, something must've alerted you if a ghost was present."

"You mean, the remaining equipment that hasn't been messed up by you two?" Jack paused, flashing them a look before continuing. "Besides, he could've left some clues of his whereabouts." Jack pointed out.

"A clue like that?" Helako finally spoke, pointing upward.

The dumbfounded look on the Native American's face caused everyone else's attention to be drawn to the sky.

Phantom was floating a few feet up in the air, watching the group with open curiosity. He seemed intrigued, like a scientist analyzing his experiments. Or, Jack thought, a more appropriate analogy: a terrorist studying his adversary to plot out a thorough attack.

"I'm gonna get you, you putrid ectoplasmic waste!" Jack shouted at the ghost moments before rapidly firing at him with his bazooka.

The teenage ghost smirked and popped out of sight.

The group stayed quiet for a few moments as Jack lowered his weapon. The rest of his group seemed astounded.

"But that's impossible!" Tucker shouted, obviously stunned by the sight of the ghost boy.

"We need to go, Mr. Fenton." Sam spoke in soft tones, though she was clearly shaken by the sight of the ghost. "I already told Jazz we were on our way back."

Jack growled, glaring up at the dull sky. "One day, Phantom."

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

Danny chewed on his bottom nail as Sam replayed the story to him. She had already told Jazz and Maddie, and now she was telling him.

Evidently, Jack and company had seen Phantom by an electronics store. With their own eyes.

The hybrid pulled his hand away from his mouth and curled his fingers into a fist. He glared at his friends, though his heart was pounding. This wouldn't be the first time they'd come across a fake Phantom before. "Are you guys shitting me? Because if this is some kind of cruel, sick joke, then it's not funny. I just got freakin' electrocuted this morning and I've been dealing with so much crap-"

"Danny, why the hell would we joke about this?" Sam crossed her arm and focused her angry gaze on him. He had clearly offended her.

Tucker nodded. "We're dead serious. Your mom even got your dad to tell her about everything that happened. According to your dad, Phantom threatened your family, and has been seen several times these past few days."

"Shit," Danny muttered. He glanced down at his hand and sank against his pillow. "Where is everyone?"

"Your dad went down to the lab to fix all the stuff Tucker and I ruined while we were with him. Alaqua and her family left a while back, and your mom and Jazz went downstairs a few moments before you woke up."

"Great." Danny muttered sarcastically and straightened up. He swung his legs over the bed and planted his feet on the floor.

"Whoa, hey, what're you doing?" Sam started, rushing to aid her friend. She placed an arm around his shoulders, keeping him from standing up. "You're not supposed to be moving around."

"Sam, come on. I just need to talk to my mom about what dad said. Besides, I'm tired of not doing anything." He met Sam's eyes. He could feel her resolve dissolving. Her eyes softened and she glanced up at the techno geek that was standing by the wall.

"Tucker, mind giving us a hand?"

The teenager jumped and quickly agreed. Getting Danny off the bed took little effort as he had rapidly been regaining his strength.

They provided support as he walked out the door and shakily climbed down the stairs. He paused at the last step and peered into the living room where his mother and sister were in an intense discussion.

"Jazz, you don't think your brother is..."

"I mean, maybe." The redhead cut in. "Jack, Helako, Enequero, Sam, Tucker-they all saw Phantom." The redhead shook her head, disappointedly. "Face it, we need to be open to the possibility that Danny could be..."

"Turning dark and evil like my future alternate self?" Danny hissed, anger radiating from his icy eyes.

The two women, finally noticing his presence, swiveled their heads to look at him.

"I wasn't going to say that." Jazz furrowed her brows in irritation. "I was going to say you might be losing control. Mom's mentioned that ghosts are highly prone to going power hungry or going mad when their powers are strengthening. Now, I'm not saying that's going to happen to you because, let's face it, we all believe in the good you possess. But you could be reacting badly to this power transition. Maybe you're having blackouts and fits of anger in which you react by going out and terrorizing peop-"

"But I'm not!" He interrupted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I would remember if I did!"

"Danny, people don't particularly remember blackouts, hence the term blackout." She huffed. "And, for the last time, it's _just _a possibility!"

Maddie stepped between her bickering children and flashed them each a look that told them to calm down. "Look, kids. If it's true, we need to find out when and where Jack has seen Phantom. The first time Jack saw him was three days ago, a couple hours before Alaqua came. Jack said the ghost boy was robbing a warehouse."

Danny frowned. "Yeah, I was on patrol, I didn't find any ghosts so I came home."

"So, any witnesses to confirm your whereabouts?" Jazz inquired.

"No," Danny mumbled.

Maddie rolled her eyes but continued. "Then again _two _days ago, at around five maybe six in the afternoon, stealing some machinery from a factory."

"Wait! I was hanging out with Tucker at that time. Playing video games. I'll call him. He can totally vouch for me."

"It's true," Tucker confirmed. "My parents were there, too, so we've got evidence that he was with us."

"Ha!" Danny blurted out, jabbing a finger at Jazz.

"Young man," Maddie's gaze hardened, "you're supposed to remain within the premises this entire week."

"Uh..." Danny guiltily rubbed the back of his neck. "I was having a bad day and needed a break?"

Maddie opened her mouth to reprimand him but was, not for the first time, interrupted. This time by Sam. "Okay, so Jack says Phantom's been robbing these random places. This clearly proves Danny's innocence."

"Holy shit!" Tucker shouted, abruptly. "Don't tell me Danny's got another clone."

"It's possible." Jazz agreed. "Considering the circumstances he's usually put in; although Vlad hasn't shown any signs of experimentations lately. In fact, since the trip, he's pretty much stayed out of the way except for mayor business."

"But he has been unusually quiet." Maddie pointed out. "He could very well be involved. Or he could be plotting something."

"But, at this rate, it could be anything." Sam intervened. "A shape-shifting ghost, a copy-cat ghost, an illusion created to frame Danny. Hell, for all we know it may not even be ghost or human. Just a puppet created to look like Danny."

"All possible." Maddie commented. "We need to start researching. Look out for any clues. And, if anyone comes across the other Danny, there's no facing him alone. We have no idea what he's capable of or even what powers the imposter has." Maddie paused and shook her head. "I can't believe the situation we've been put into."

"How will we know which one's the real Danny?" Sam inquired.

"And, how do we even know the fake Danny is with us, right now?" Tucker turned to look at his friend and stepped away from him, flashing Danny a dramatically suspicious look. Tucker's action caused Danny to lean solely on Sam.

"Well, I'm sure I would recognize my own son." Maddie paused and frowned, glumly. She peered at her son with sad eyes. "Then again, I probably don't know you as well as I thought I did."

Danny flashed his mom a sympathetic look and gently squeezed her shoulder. He offered her a small smile. She responded with her own tentative smile.

"That's ridiculous," Jazz shrugged. "I would know if he wasn't Danny. His behavior, his expressions, reactions... they all indicate that he's the real Danny."

"Yeah, right." Tucker snorted, his tone oozing sarcasm. "Tell us something only Danny would know."

Danny huffed and rolled his eyes. "When we were six, I put itching powder in Jazz's laundry basket but it ended up being mom's clothes and dad grounded me for a week."

"Like I said," Jazz smirked. "That's definitely Danny." She paused, briefly, and took on a lecturing tone. "It's impossible for anyone to identically mimic another person's behavior. Ghost or otherwise. There's always something that makes people distinct. We just have to keep an eye out for anything unusual." Jazz shrugged.

"Not that you should have to because Danny's under house arrest." Maddie raised her brow and flashed her son an authoritarian look.

"Yeah, right. Since when does Danny ever do what he's told?" Tucker commented.

"Shut _up_, Tuck." Danny hissed.

"He's right, though. You're not leaving our sights any time soon." Maddie crossed her arms over her chest and raised her brows.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:

Jack sighed and slunk out the door.

It had taken him much of the night to repair more than half of his inventions, and he was feeling utterly exhausted. The ones that Sam had messed with required more tedious concentration, as she had clicked buttons that she wasn't supposed to. The ones Tucker had crushed or broken required new parts and a few screws.

He dragged himself up the stairs and burst into his room.

Maddie was sitting on her bed. Her expression was somber and, when she met Jack's eyes, her gaze hardened. She pursed her lips and balled her hands into tight fists.

'Oh, no,' Jack thought, swallowing the lump in his throat. This was the Scary Maddie look. The look that clearly said, although she was keeping calm, she was boiling up with fury.

"Maddie, are you okay?"

She jumped to her feet at the sound of his voice.

"Like _hell _I'm okay. Jack," she paused, her brows furrowed together as she placed a hand on her hips. "What the _fuck _were you _thinking? _You put the ghost shield up? Without _telling_ me?" She groaned and closed the gap between them, jabbing her finger at his face.

"You have _no _idea what you've done, do you?" She paused and stepped back, folding her arms over her chest. "Of course, you don't."

"Maddie," Jack defended. "I'm just trying to protect our family from Phantom."

"No! You're not! You've been doing this solely for the purpose of vengeance! You've seen how well our kids fight, and you know we can all defend ourselves perfectly fine." She paused. "Now, I'm thinking we need to protect our kids from _you._"

"M-me?" Jack stuttered out. "But, Maddie-"

"I can't believe you, Jack. By supposedly protecting our family, you've been avoiding us. Danny needed you." She paused, glaring into his eyes. "I bet you haven't even seen or spoken to our kids in _days._"

"Well, I talked to Jazz-"

"Right," Maddie argued. "As if shouting out 'goodbye, I'm going ghost hunting,' is actually a conversation. And then ignoring your only son! That's not healthy, Jack." She sighed and glanced down at the floor. "This was the week he was going to tell." She paused, not delving into her comment any further.

"Maddie..." Jack began, pleadingly.

"You," Maddie began, suddenly cold, "can find somewhere else to sleep tonight. And you won't be allowed anywhere in here until you fixed things with your kids."

Jack sighed and glumly prepared his things. He took his pajamas, pillow, and bunny slippers and camped on the couch the rest of the night.

By morning, he was long gone.

**A/N: Finally! This chapter has been written. Geez, this one seemed to be the most difficult to write.**

**Dunno why, but it was.**

**Also, I've already started on the next chapter, so it shouldn't take as long to update.**

**Anywho, I want to thank you guys for taking the time to review! It really motivates me to continue working on these stories.**

**You guys are amazing. ;D**


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